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Eight Common Reasons Websites Don't Perform

Ok...so you might be thinking, why don’t I get many (or any) leads from my website?

You've landed on the right article, so read on...

In this email we will go over in checklist fashion some key things that might be holding your website back from turning website visitors into leads.

1. Your Website is Not Secure

To check a site's security, look at the security status to the left of the web address. There are three options:

Secure

View site or Not secure

Not secure or Dangerous

A green lock is Google's way of letting visitors know a site is safe to interact with.The other two signal warnings like 'you should not enter any secure information on this site because it could be stolen by hackers'. By the way, those are googles exact words. Hover your mouse above the image to the left of your web address to see what message is displaying for your site.

If your site is not secure, it will be turning visitors away.

It also makes it harder for visitors to come across your site while looking for your goods and services, as Google will display secure sites first. So, if your competitors have secure sites, they'll be showing before yours and no doubt getting more leads too.

2. Your Website is Not Mobile Friendly

More than 50% of the time visitors view websites from their mobile phones. If your site is not mobile friendly, it will be too hard to read. Frustrated, viewers will simply leave it for a website that is easy to view.

3. Your Website is Old and Outdated

As the saying goes - 'you don't get a second chance at making a first impression'. An old site can send potential clients the wrong messages about your business like:

You are no longer relevant and on-trend

You are not prepared to invest in your business

You don't have the cashflow to update your website

You don't care about the image you project

You are not professional

Ouch... we realise that was a bit hard hitting and we don't mean to offend, but this is what the research tells us so there's no point sugar coating it.

4. Your Website Doesn't Build Trust

"Can I trust you? Why should I choose your business over others?" These are the two questions visitors to your site will ask themselves.

In order to turn visitors into leads, you need to provide clear and compelling reasons why they should choose your products and services. There are three inputs we look at to help build trust for our clients.

4.a. Customer Value Proposition (CVP)

This clearly describes why your products are services are a wise choice, and better than your competition. Don’t worry if you don’t have a CVP, our expert copywriters can craft a winning one for you.

4.b. Trust Factors

'Trust factors' such as awards, certifications, partnerships, accreditations, memberships and guarantees all help position you as knowledgeable experts who can be relied upon. It's vital you display these on your website.

4.c.Testimonials

Testimonials, case studies and reviews all help convince people to buy from you, as they are honest recommendations from people they trust the most - other customers. Ask some of your most loyal customers to write a review of your business if you don't have these already.

5. Your Website Is Not Easily Found

Try keying in words that relate to your products or services. Where does your website show? First or second page? How about third or fourth? Perhaps you hardly rank at all. It goes without saying, if you’re not getting found, you won’t be getting leads. A website that is built well will be 'optimised' for your keywords so you're found more easily.

6. Your Website Is Slow to Load

Does your website load in less than 3 seconds? Nearly half of all visitors will leave a mobile site if the page doesn't load within 3 seconds. We build fast websites, for the best possible user experience.

7. Your Website Lacks a Strong Compelling Offer

In order to turn a visitor into a lead you have to take that person down a clear path. There has to be a clear next step for them to take. The key is to think through the visitor’s need. Find out what mode they are in. And then give them a clear next step that solves their immediate problem.

Have you ever run into a friend you haven’t seen in a while and said something like ‘hey we should hang out sometime’? And what ends up happening? Nothing, right? That’s because saying ‘hey we should hang out sometime’ isn’t a strong compelling offer.

What if instead when you saw your friend who you haven’t seen in a while you said ‘hey I’m glad I ran into you. I have an extra ticket to the All Blacks game this weekend, do you want to join me?’ Now this might not always work either. Maybe the other person has plans or doesn’t like rugby. But I bet the closing rate of you hanging out with your friend would be much higher if you gave a strong compelling offer, rather than a weak and vague one like the ‘let’s hangout sometime’ offer.

Are you making this same type of mistake with your website? Do you have a clear, strong, benefit driven offer with your site? I can tell you from experience how powerful it is to have one.

Of all the visitors coming to your website about only 20% of them are ready to make a buying decision right now. That leaves 80% of visitors who will not be responsive to your primary offer, which is usually a call to take action now.

So, what to do? This is when it pays to have a secondary offer. You’ve probably seen these all over the place. Have you ever signed up to be notified of special deals? Or given your email to receive a free guide or pdf download? Those are all secondary offers.

The idea is you give something of value to visitors who are still in ‘research or information gathering’ mode in exchange for a way to stay in touch with them and nurture that relationship over time.

Conclusion

So there you have it. If your website isn’t bringing you many leads, run through the checklist and see if you can improve in any of these areas. And if you’re looking to hire a professional company to help you with your website project, please contact us.

We don’t just design pretty looking websites, we build websites that convert visitors into leads which generate new business for our clients.

Think of your website as an investment rather than an expense. Building a website is the same as opening a new storefront. Making the right impression can win you business, while the wrong one can turn potential customers away.